Pressure within pushes Jason Gant out

Sep. 12, 2013

Written by

Jason Gant

Joel Rosenthal

Secretary of state elections

How South Dakota picks its secretaries of state: • Candidates for secretary of state aren’t chosen by voters in competitive primaries. Instead, political parties pick nominees at conventions of delegates elected from around the state. • Voters in the general election then pick from the party nominees, and any independent candidates. • In 2010, Gant won the party nomination by defeating then-state Rep. Thomas Deadrick and Theresa Bray, a deputy to Gant’s predecessor, Chris Nelson. Gant went on to beat Democratic nominee Ben Nesselhuf in the general election. • Before becoming secretary of state, Gant served six years in the state Senate representing Sioux Falls.

Shantel Krebs

Stan Adelstein

With no incumbent running for secretary of state next year, the field is clear for state Sen. Shantel Krebs — and any other potential candidates.

Faced with Krebs’ high-profile challenge from within his own party, Secretary of State Jason Gant said Wednesday he would step down after only one term.

Gant said he decided Tuesday after “careful thought and consideration.”

“I have decided I am not going to seek another term,” Gant said Wednesday morning. “I’m looking forward to returning to the private sector when my term ends.”

He’ll serve out his term, which runs through the end of 2014.

Gant had faced criticism from several quarters since taking office in 2011. Conservatives criticized him for endorsing state Rep. Val Rausch in a primary challenge to a sitting state senator in 2012. Democrats and conservatives alike said he mishandled nominating petitions in the last year’s race.

A judge ruled Gant didn’t do everything he could to solicit opposition statements to a proposed constitutional amendment and forced him to reprint his voter guide with a statement added.

Joel Rosenthal, a former chairman of the South Dakota Republican Party, said Gant probably recognized “the handwriting’s on the wall” for his political future.

“I think it’s become increasingly clear to observers that South Dakota was going to get a new secretary of state,” Rosenthal said. “To Republicans ... it was just a question about whether the new one was going to be a Republican or not.”

Krebs, a Renner Republican, has been laying the groundwork to run for secretary of state for months. After Gant’s announcement Wednesday, Krebs made that interest public.

“My intention has always been to run, but I have an official announcement coming very soon,” Krebs said. “I want to make that announcement at that time.”

Krebs said she didn’t want to make a political announcement on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

It’s unclear whether any other Republicans will run for the now-open secretary of state position next year.

(Page 2 of 3)

One potential candidate, former deputy secretary of state Teresa Bray, said Wednesday that she’s decided not to run.

No Democrats have expressed public interest in the race. Zach Crago, executive director of the South Dakota Democratic Party, said “several folks” have approached the party about running. But he declined to say who those possible candidates are.

“Those names are not yet public, but my hope is they will be in short order,” Crago said.

An Aberdeen man also had been considering running for secretary of state as an independent. Ken Santema, a libertarian blogger, said Gant’s decision makes him less likely to run. Santema wants to meet with Krebs and decide whether she’ll be an acceptable candidate.

Republican officials in recent months had expressed concern about Gant, worrying he was a liability for Republican electoral goals.

“He’s not overly popular among the party, and has caused them some embarrassment,” Rosenthal said. “A lot of local leaders and local party activists are feeling very uncomfortable about (Gant).”

Even Gov. Dennis Daugaard met with Gant earlier this year to discuss the future.

“(Daugaard) had a private conversation with Jason a while back,” said Daugaard aide Tony Venhuizen. “The meeting was at Jason’s request to talk about some political matters, and that’s a private conversation.”

Krebs recently circulated a letter to Republican delegates, saying the “integrity of the secretary of state’s office has been damaged and much of the public have lost faith in it.”

In that same letter, Krebs said the biggest risk to the Republican goal of winning every statewide office was the secretary of state race.

Crago criticized that statement, saying it showed Krebs to be too partisan for the state’s chief election officer.

South Dakotans want a secretary of state “who will impartially administer our elections, protect our right to vote and preserve the integrity of the office,” Crago said.

Gant said the reason he wasn’t running was because he had accomplished his goals, including improving the secretary of state’s online presence and promoting vote centers, where citizens can vote anywhere in their jurisdiction rather than just at a particular precinct.

(Page 3 of 3)

He insisted Krebs’ challenge didn’t play a role in his decision not to run.

“I’m confident, had I decided to run for another term, I would have been successful in both the primary and the general,” Gant said.

Political science professor Jon Schaff at Northern State University said that’s “exactly what (Gant) has to say,” but was skeptical that was the real reason.

“To me, it’s too much of a coincidence” that Gant’s “been a little bit under fire and he’s looking at a potential primary and decides to step down,” Schaff said.

Rosenthal, who said he considers Krebs a friend, said Gant probably would have lost if he ran again.

“It’s maybe a little hard to know, but I think the way things were coming together, no, he wasn’t going to win,” Rosenthal said.

“Now if he would go just one more step and resign immediately, to allow the governor to appoint someone who would be effective in the job,” Adelstein said.

In a public statement, Gant said he had made some mistakes, but they were outweighed by his accomplishments.

“I am far from perfect, but I have always tried to do my best and serve the people of South Dakota well,” Gant wrote. “Tremendous improvements have been made in the secretary of state’s office, with more to come. I may not be seeking another term; however, my drive and determination are as strong as ever.”